The 25th Annual Topeka Water Festival — A Splashing Success!

KACEE Staff
Sep 23
2 min read

The Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) held its 25th annual Topeka Water Festival at Garfield Park in Topeka, Kansas on Thursday, September 18, 2025, hosting over 600 area 4th graders to learn about water!

The Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) held its 25th annual Topeka Water Festival at Garfield Park in Topeka, Kansas on Thursday, September 18, 2025, hosting over 600 area 4th graders to learn about water!

“This year, with drought and flooding affecting much of our state, understanding water and its value is more urgent than ever,” said Laura Downey, executive director of KACEE. “Water is life—it fuels our homes, our farms, and our communities. We want students to leave inspired not just to appreciate water, but to take action to conserve and protect it.”

“This is more than a field trip—it’s a launchpad for lifelong stewardship,” Downey said. “Thanks to our sponsors and volunteers, students get the chance to learn, wonder, and take action around one of the most pressing issues of our time.”

Why Water?

Water touches every aspect of our lives. We use water to drink, brush our teeth, wash, cook, clean, grow food, produce energy and more. We depend on water not only to live, but for nearly everything we do. That makes conserving and preserving this vital natural resource essential.

At the Topeka Water Festival, hundreds of 4th graders participate in hands-on education activity stations and learn about a variety of water topics. The stations teach students things like how water gets from the river to their taps, how we can conserve water, how we can make sure water is clean and healthy for all living things, and even how to be safe when recreating on the water.

By the end of this fun day, students have a better understanding of how important water is to our lives and what they can do to be good stewards of this shared resource.